The present invention relates to a tablet packing apparatus and more particularly to a tablet packing apparatus characterized in tablet-vessel feed configuration.
Conventionally, there has been known a tablet packing apparatus in which the direction of a tablet vessel fed from a tablet vessel feed section is detected to turn the opening thereof upward and is held on a holding portion of the outer periphery of a rotatable disc to fill the tablet vessel with tablets (refer to Japanese Laid-open patent publication No. HEI11-70901).
However, in the tablet packing apparatus, for detecting the direction of the opening of the tablet vessel, changing the direction and holding the tablet vessel with the disc, separate independent mechanisms are required. Therefore, there are disadvantages that the construction is complicated and the cost is increased.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tablet packing apparatus which is possible to feed tablet vessels in a simple and low-cost construction.
The present invention provides, as a means to solve the above-described problems, a tablet packing apparatus in which tablets fed from a tablet feed section are contained into a tablet vessel fed from a tablet vessel feed section. The apparatus comprises a vessel holder member having fork-like support portions. The vessel holder member is capable of linearly reciprocating between a vessel supporting position where the vessel holder member receives and supports the tablet vessel fed from the tablet vessel feed section and a tablet receiving position where the tablets fed from the tablet feed section are contained in the tablet vessel, whereby a flange of the tablet vessel fed from the tablet vessel feed section is supported by the support portion.
According to the above construction, even if the tablet vessel is fed from the tablet vessel feed section in any directions of opening side and bottom side, the flange of the tablet vessel is necessarily supported by the support portion, and thereby the tablet vessel is positioned with the opening directed upward.
It is preferable, in a point of effective use of the dead space generated by providing the support portions, that the tablet packing apparatus further comprises a label fitting portion for fitting a label on the outer surface of the tablet vessel fed from the tablet vessel feed section as the tablet vessel is guided and rotated.
It is preferable, in a point of being possible to treat various tablet vessels with a slight improvement, that the support portions are formed so that the distances between the support portions are different according to difference of sizes of the tablet vessels.
It is preferable that the tablet packing apparatus further comprises a lifting member for lifting the tablet vessel supported on the support portions and a tablet packing member for temporarily accumulating the tablets fed from the tablet feed section and packing the tablets into the tablet vessel lifted by the lifting member.
In the tablet packing apparatus according to the present invention, a construction that the flange of the tablet vessel is supported by the support portion allows the structure to be simplified and produced cheaply.
Since the label fitting portion for fitting the label on the outer surface of the tablet vessel as the tablet vessel is guided and rotated is provided, such an additional function can be obtained by effective use of the dead space and compact construction.
As the support portions are formed so that the distances between the support portions are different according to difference of sizes of the tablet vessels, it is possible to treat various tablet vessels with a slight improvement, an easy design and a low cost.
As the tablets fed from the tablet feed section are accumulated in the tablet packing member and packed into the tablet vessel lifted by the lifting member, it is possible to pack the tablets with a simplified construction and with a small space to be possessed.